Ex-Browns GM Savage sounds off on Browns changes

Phil Savage knew the Browns then and is as familiar as almost anyone with their key players now. Here’s what the former Michael Lombardi lieutenant who became the teams GM from 2005-08 thinks of the Browns now.

Looking back — and looking ahead — Phil Savage has a deep and unique perspective on the Cleveland Browns.

He was one of Bill Belichick’s coaches with the Browns in 1992 and ’93. He moved to scouting for the 1994 and ’95 seasons, spent the 1996-2004 seasons as one of the transplants to Baltimore, then returned to the Browns as general manager from 2005-08.

In 2007 and ’08, he got to know Rob Chudzinski, then the Browns’ offensive coordinator.

He subsequently came to know Joe Banner in a brief stint with the Eagles before landing a job as executive director of the Senior Bowl.

He has been landing jobs as an NFL analyst. He is entering his fifth season as a radio voice of Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide.

He knows things ... things that pertain to the Browns. At the end of a conversation about Jonathan Ogden, a former Baltimore draft pick who is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Savage took a moment to weigh in on the 2013 Browns.

• His take on Lombardi and Banner:

“Over the past 20 years, he’s taken a lot of different football experiences, been with a club, or in the media. He’s followed the game.

“I’m sure he’s got some ideas and has modified some of the thinking and some of his philosophies. I think between he and Joe ... I mean, you’re talking about two really bright people.”

• On Chudzinski’s challenges as a first-time head coach:

“I know what Chud is capable of offensively. The key is going to be getting Michael, Joe and Chud and the owner all on the same page, so there can be some longevity.

“I’m not sure it really matters what philosophy anybody is going with, a spread offense, a West Coast offense, a 4-3, a 3-4. Bottom line, you have to have time to grow and learn from mistakes and keep moving. That’s going to be the ultimate litmus test for any regime that goes through the Browns.

“A lot of people that have been there have been more than qualified. For whatever reason — circumstances, situations, scenarios — no one’s been able to last beyond one term. It’s hard for a president to get much done in one term. It’s hard to get stuff done in two terms.

“That’ll be the proving ground for whether the Browns can really get up on their feet and go compete against the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals on a consistent basis.

“That division’s not going anywhere. They’re all very competitive teams.”

• On Lombardi’s approach to roster building:

“It is a very difficult thing to get off the deck and win enough to keep the outside influences at bay while you’re building from the inside out.

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“I do think Michael has that as a core philosophy. That you build from the middle out. I don’t think that’s gone away too much from his thinking.”

• On quarterback Brandon Weeden:

“I was working for Philly (before the 2012 draft, in which Weeden was a Round 1 pick). My view was that he wasn’t an ideal fit for a true West Coast offense, which the Eagles were running at that time under Andy Reid.

“But the thing about him is, he can throw the football. He’s got a lot of physical talent. It’s going to be a matter of making a transition, intangibly, to whatever system they’re going to run. He can throw the football. There’s never been a question about that.

• On how Weeden fits with Chudzinski:

“Chud has coached different styles of quarterbacks. I think he can have success with Weeden and the talents he brings. We saw Chud do it with Derek Anderson. They both have big arms. They both have made questionable decisions with the ball in the past. You’ve got to cut down on those.

“If they have guys on the other end who can make plays — and it seems like the Browns are getting closer to having more guys that can get the football — There’s no reason to think that with Trent Richardson dotting the “i” they can have some success offensively.”

• On Richardson, who is due back from a leg strain that knocked him out of minicamp:

“I really like Trent. I had a chance to watch every snap he played in ’09,’10, and ’11. I found him to be a big-time competitor who wants to win.

“He’s a physical player. I don’t think he was anywhere close to his full physical potential last year. It’s a health thing that really plagued him through the spring and over the draft and through the minicamps.

“If he can get through whatever he has going on now ... I personally would not be concerned about some of these nicks. He’ll play through them.

“Trent’s a complete back. He can run between the tackles. He’s got home-run ability. He can catch the football. He’s an excellent pass protector. And he’s a winner.

“Even though Mark Ingram won a Heisman (with Richardson as his backup) and was kind of a name, Trent was showing what kind of player he was. He would score touchdowns and then cover the next kickoff and make a tackle. He would return kickoffs. Trent knows how to play football.”

• On Richardson’s similarities to Jamal Lewis, whom he scouted in 2000 before the Ravens spent a No. 5 overall draft pick on him:

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“In a lot of respects, I think Trent is a more well-rounded prospect than Jamal was when he came out of Tennessee. We’ll see if he has the same durability to run for 10,000-plus career yards, but he’s cut from the same cloth on the field as far as temperament, having the eye of the tiger. I mean, this guy’s a stallion.”